Toffee Cakey Brownie with Marshmallow

I have been thinking about cake for the past week. No joke. It was seriously troubling, but instead I ended up making these brownies. Another lazy day in the kitchen, so I used boxed mix. I added in some leftover toffee bits as well as sprinkling some on top the last 5 minutes. Topped off with some marshmallow that needed to be used up as well. Result? Absolutely deliciouuuus! I think next time, I would bake it just a little longer to toast up the marshmallows more.

No recipe included, but it's just a boxed brownie mix. Follow the package instructions, mix in some toffee bits. At the last 5-10 minutes, sprinkle more toffee bits and marshmallows.

Holiday Baking: Chewy Nutella Cookies

It's already December 5th and I've been searching and testing a couple recipes for a good couple weeks now and I am so glad I tried this recipe from Buttercream Blondie because it is so so so good! The last recipe I tried from her site was a bit of a fail on my end, but these cookies are far from that! If you like a nice chewy cookie, this is it! Next time I'm going to add more Nutella... I'm not even sure I added 3/4 cup since I didn't measure and only added what I had left.

Chewy Nutella Cookies
recipe from buttercream blondie

8 ounces unsalted butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup nutella
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 & 1/2 cups AP flour

Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy.
Add nutella and continue to mix.
Add eggs and extract, mixing till combined.
Mix in dry ingredients.
Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate a few hours or over night.
Scoop dough using a 1 ounce cookie scoop.
Bake at 325 degrees for approx. 15-16 minutes rotating once halfway through.

Oreo Cupcakes Take 2!

Since I deleted my old blog where this recipe was posted at, I thought I would add it here. I posted about oreo cupcakes awhile back, but these are made using homemade batter instead of cake mix. The original recipe is from Annie's Eats and the only thing i changed was by adding oreo crumbs to the frosting.

I mean, everyone loves Oreos right? This cupcake is oreo half (cream side) on the bottom, oreo chunks in the batter, oreo crumbs in the frosting and sprinkled on top and lastly, an Oreo half to top it all off. Can we say Oreo Coma?! On the plus side, this cupcake is not painstakingly sweet like I initially thought it would be. These will make your life complete.



Oreo Cupcakes
Original recipe from Annie's Eats

For the cupcakes:
24 Oreo halves, with cream filling attached
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
8 TBsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 2/3 cup sugar
3 large egg whites, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla bean paste
1 cup milk
20 Oreo cookies, broken into quarters

For the frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tbsp. vanilla bean paste
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
2-3 tbsp. heavy cream
1/2 cup Oreo crumbs (optional)

For garnish:
Oreo cookie crumbs
24 Oreo cookie halves

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. Place an Oreo halve in the bottom of each liner, cream side up. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt; stir together with a fork to blend and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and sugar and beat together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Blend in the egg whites one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in the vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, beat in half of the dry ingredients just until incorporated. Add the milk and beat just until combined, then mix in the remaining dry ingredients. Gently fold in the chopped Oreos until evenly incorporated.

Evenly divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Blend in the vanilla extract. Beat in the confectioners’ sugar until incorporated and smooth, 1-2 minutes. Add the heavy cream to the bowl and beat on medium-low speed just until incorporated, then increase the speed to medium-high and whip for 4 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix in oreo crumbs.

Frost the cooled cupcakes as desired. Sprinkle with Oreo crumbs and garnish with Oreo halves.

Chocolate Chip Whoopie Pies

Chocolate Chip Whoopie Pies
Recipe from Whoopie Pies

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, shortening, and both sugars and beat until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and buttermilk and beat until combined.

In a measuring cup, combine the milk, baking soda, and vinegar. Add the milk mixture to the batter along with the flour mixture and beat on low until just combined. Add the vanilla and beat on medium for about 3 minutes, until completely combined.

Using a wooden spoon, stir in the chocolate chips until just incorporated.

Using a spoon, drop about 1 tablespoon of batter onto one of the prepared baking sheets and repeat, spacing them out at least 2 inches apart. Bake one sheet at a time for about 10 minutes each or until the cakes begin to brown. Remove from the oven and let the cakes cool on the sheet for at least 3 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.

Classic Marshmallow Filling:
1 1/2 cups Marshmallow Fluff
1 1/4 cups vegetable shortening
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the Marshmallow Fluff and the vegetable shortening, staring on low and increasing to medium speed until the mixture is smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low, add the confectioners' sugar and the vanilla, and beat until incorporated. Increase mixer speed to medium and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes more.

Pipe or spoon filling onto flat side of cookie and top with another cookie. Roll the edges in sprinkles, if desired.

Soft & Chewy Choco Chip Cookies with M&M's

Soft & Chewy Choco Chip Cookies with M&M's
Recipe from Martha Stewart's Cookies book

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (about 12 ounces) semisweet and/or milk chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups plain M&M's (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with both sugars; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.
Reduce speed to low; add the salt, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until well mixed, about 1 minute. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and M&M's.

Drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, but still soft in the center, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely.

White & Chocolate Chip Cookies with Marshmallow Bits and Toffee

So, my best friend Jeannie turns the big 3-0 today and even though her gift will be arriving late, this is one part of it. She requested some cookies baked by yours truly and I wanted to try something new. Jeannie is actually allergic to milk/dark/semi-sweet chocolate, so I made her cookies without and added milk chocolate chips to the rest of the dough.

White & chocolate chip cookies with marshmallow bits and toffee. Now, say that 5 times fast! Goodness, that title alone is such a mouthful. The recipe calls for 3 cups of flour!! Probably because there's so much add ins, but my dough was slightly crumbly. Jenny from Picky-Palate didn't instruct to refrigerate the dough before baking like most cookie recipes do, but I made the dough at about midnight and I don't plan to bake and ship til next week anyways. Today, I decided to bake half a dozen just for myself to test it out and of course taste test to make sure it's good enough for my bestie. I let the dough sit out for a bit and when it came to scoop my dough, it was still pretty hard and very crumbly. I baked it the full 12 minutes like the recipe suggested and even let it sit on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before putting it on the cooling rack. The cookies barely spread and the middle still had that undercooked doughy texture which I personally don't like. The cookie itself? SUPER SWEET! Oh man. Still a good cookie. Happy Birthday Jeannie!! ♥



White & chocolate chip cookies with marshmallow bits and toffee Recipe by Picky-Palate

2 sticks softened unsalted butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup chocolate chunks
1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
3/4 cup mini marshmallow bits
1/4 cup toffee chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line large baking sheet with parchment or silpat liner.

2. In stand mixer, beat butter and sugar for 3-4 minutes, will be light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla until well combined. Slowly add flour, chocolate, chips, marshmallow bits and toffee. Mix until just combined.

3. With a medium cookie scoop, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheet, about 1 inch apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until baked to your liking. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet before transferring to cooling rack.

Ooey Gooey Brownies

Of all the times I have ever made brownies, whether from scratch or box mix, this has got to take the cake as my best brownies to date. As I said in my previous post, I'm on a sweet kick lately and yesterday I decided brownies would be a great idea and I'm really glad I did. I was originally going to make them plain, but plain is just so boring. Rummaged around in my pantry and decided to use some caramel bits, a few sprinkle of semi-sweet chocolate chips and of course leftover marshmallows.



I baked it for about 23 minutes, pulled out the brownies and sprinkled a good amount (okay, I lied, I used whatever was left in the bag) of marshmallows, gently pressing them in with the back of a spatula. Baked it some more for like 10 minutes and when I thought it was finished, it was still very wobbly, so I had to bake it for an extra 15-20 minutes. After all that wait, it was definitely worth it. I have no clue where the caramel bits went, but it must of melted and created the most delicious ooey gooey center.



Ooey Gooey Brownies

1 box milk chocolate brownie mix
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
sprinkle of caramel bits
marshmallows

Follow the instructions on the back of box.
Add in the semi-sweet chocolate chips. Pour into casserole. Sprinkle however much caramel bits you want.
10 minutes before done, sprinkle marshmallows.

Chocolate Toffee Caramel Cookies

Today is hubby's 29th birthday and the last day or so, I have been baking up a storm. Originally I was only going to bake cupcakes which I did (look out for the post soon), but I want him to bring most of them to work. Except, I only have a dozen of cupcakes to send to his company/team, so an addition of cookies have also been included. This is my favorite Toffee Cookie recipe, but since I was really low on toffee chips and was in no mood running to the store at 11pm, I added caramel bits. The cookie is still delicious though. The melted caramel bits add a different texture, but since it melted, it's hardened and there's a chew to it. Not too bad. I probably wouldn't add them because I do love the original toffee recipe. Anyways, give it a go or leave them out.



Chocolate Toffee Caramel Cookies
Original recipe from Simply Recipes

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted sweet butter, room temp
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups toffee chips
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup caramel bits

Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.

Cream butter until fluffy. Add the sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time, and vanilla.

Alternatively mix in the toffee chips and the flour mixture, a third at a time, until well blended. Chill cookie dough for at least an hour (or 30 minutes in the freezer).

Preheat oven to 350°F. On cookie sheets lined with parchment paper spoon out the cookie dough in small 1-inch diameter balls (size of a large marble). Place dough balls 3 inches away from each other on the cookie sheets.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are just starting to brown. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes.

Oreo Cupcakes

We had a cook out a couple weekends ago and since I didn't have to make real people food, I made dessert as usual. The S'more cookies are always a hit, which you can find the recipe here. I also wanted to make cupcakes and decided on the Oreo cupcakes since the first time I made it, it was a huge hit with the kids at Chinese School. The cupcakes went pretty well with the guys at the cook out! One guy told me he ate 5 and he's never had them before and how he loved it. Another told me what's inside and I pretty much told him it's an explosion of Oreos and he almost cried haha

The cupcake definitely is an explosion of Oreos with a cream side oreo half on the bottom, Oreo crumbs inside the batter, crumbs mixed into the cream cheese frosting, leftover crumbs sprinkled on top and topped with half of Oreo's Birthday oreo on top. I ended up running out of the regular oreos and had to use the birthday ones, which I personally didn't really like in taste. The one thing I did different for these cupcakes was I cheated and used white cake box mix. It was easier and less hassle because there's nothing I hate more than busting my butt if say no one at them. Plus, this cook out was semi-planned by my husband and his co-worker. Men + Party planning = A very stressed out wife! Men just do not plan things in advance period.

Homemade cake batter recipe can be found here. Someone commented saying that I didn't use enough butter, but I might of written it down as 1/2 a stick but maybe meant 1/2 a cup (1 stick). I made these back in 2010, so I honestly can't remember what I really did.



Oreo Cupcakes

For the cupcakes:
24 Oreo halves, with cream filling attached
1 box White cake mix, follow instructions in the back

For the frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
6 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tbsp. vanilla bean paste
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
2-3 tbsp. heavy cream
1/2 cup Oreo crumbs

For garnish:
Oreo cookie crumbs
24 Oreo cookie halves

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. Place an Oreo halve in the bottom of each liner, cream side up. In a medium bowl, mix up the cake batter according to the box.

Evenly divide the batter between the prepared cupcake liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, combine the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Blend in the vanilla extract. Beat in the confectioners’ sugar until incorporated and smooth, 1-2 minutes. Add the heavy cream to the bowl and beat on medium-low speed just until incorporated, then increase the speed to medium-high and whip for 4 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix in oreo crumbs.

Frost the cooled cupcakes as desired. Sprinkle with Oreo crumbs and garnish with Oreo halves.

**If you are lazy like me and ended up putting the frosting on the day before, make sure you refrigerate and take out 30-40 minutes before serving**

S'more Cookies

An oldie, but a goodie. These cookies were a huge hit in our last company and I made them for a lot of the holiday events, cook outs and my last event was the Halloween party which I made over 6 dozen of these bad girls. Just last month, I made these cookies to surprise a special birthday girl (Hi Nala ♥). These cookies never fail me and they always win over the crowd. We had a BBQ this past weekend and I made a fresh batch that morning and they were a huge hit among the competition cookie (on the left), chocolate chip toffee cookies. The only thing I did different was used a different chocolate bar in this recipe, but for old times sake, you can use Hershey's.



S'more Cookies

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups miniature chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
2 Hershey bars, chopped

In a stand mixer, combine the butter and sugars until fluffy. Mix in egg and vanilla until combined. Add the flour, graham crackers, salt, and baking soda, mix well. Stir in the chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough for about an hour OR 30 minutes in the freezer.



Preheat oven to 375ºF.
Drop by rounded tablespoon (I use an ice cream scoop) onto cookie sheets. Bake for 8 minutes, remove from the oven. Push 3 to 4 marshmallows and a few pieces of a hershey's bar into each cookie. Return to the oven and bake an additional 2-3 minutes until fully cooked. Cool cookies on a wire rack. Makes 3 dozen cookies.